Colorado Rockies righthander Juan Nicasio had just taken a line drive hit by Ian Desmond off his temple. He collapsed on the Coors Field mound and lay motionless before being carted off and taken to the hospital.

Juan Nicasio suffered life-threatening injuries last August when he a line drive struck him in the head. (AP Photo)

Once there, doctors discovered a skull fracture and bleeding in his brain. Nicasio also cracked his C1 vertebra when he fell—it was later repaired with a four-inch metal plate and two screws.

Nicasio has since recovered. He is in camp with the Rockies and his fastball has been clocked as high as 97 mph during bullpen sessions. His hope is that he breaks camp in the rotation, which is a distinct possibility.

Considering what it looked like last Aug. 5 when Nicasio was put on his back, the fact that he’s even throwing a baseball again is amazing.

“I was so scared those first three days in the hospital,” Nicasio, 25, told The Denver Post. “I was weak. I couldn’t move my neck or really any of my muscles. But when I got out of the hospital later that week, I knew I would pitch again. There was no doubt.”

Nicasio said that once he recovered and began his offseason workout program, his biggest challenge was throwing to hitters. The memory of that line drive caused him anxiety, but Nicasio was determined to get through it.

“I did remember when the ball hit me,” he told the Post. “It was scary thinking about it again. I was nervous. But this is my job. It’s always been my dream to pitch in the big leagues. I had to find a way to get through it.”

Nicasio is participating in all spring training drills and hasn’t had to change his delivery because of the vertebra injury. In fact, there is no sign of the injury except for a scar just under his hairline.

The team is limiting some of his action, such as not allowing him to dive for pop-ups or slide head-first into bases. Other than that, Nicasio is back. He is expected to pitch in an intrasquad game Saturday.